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The Commemorative Quarter for Texas





Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Ector (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Ector. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Ector is located in Fannin County.

To see how the shape of Texas' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Fannin County: Bryan (OK), Collin, Delta, Grayson, Hunt & Lamar.

Below are the counties that are near Ector. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ector:

  • Fannin County     (The home county of Ector)
  • Collin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ector, with the one closest to Ector listed first.
    • Sedalia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sedalia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
      • Sedalia is located in Collin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sedalia
      • From Ector to Sedalia
    • Westminster
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westminster have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westminster
      • Westminster is located in Collin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westminster <1>
    • Frognot
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Blue Ridge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Van Alstyne
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Mantua ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mantua came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mantua
      • Mantua is located in Collin County
    • Anna
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Valdasta
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Melissa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Weston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Farmersville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmersville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmersville
      • Farmersville is located in Collin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,711 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Farmersville <1>
    • Parris
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • New Hope
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
      • New Hope is located in Collin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 641 people
  • Delta County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ector, with the one closest to Ector listed first.
    • Pecan Gap
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Jot-Em-Down
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jot-Em-Down. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jot-Em-Down
      • Jot-Em-Down is located in Delta County
      • Jot-Em-Down has also been known as:
      • Mohegan
      • Muddig Prairie
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jot-Em-Down
      • From Ector to Jot-Em-Down
    • Ben Franklin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ben Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ben Franklin
      • Ben Franklin is located in Delta County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ben Franklin <1>
    • Needmore
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Grayson County
  • Hunt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ector, with the one closest to Ector listed first.
    • Wolfe City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Celeste
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Celeste have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Celeste
      • Celeste is located in Hunt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 931 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Celeste <1>
    • Kingston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Aberfoyle
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • White Rock
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Merit
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Fairlie
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fairlie. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairlie
      • Fairlie is located in Hunt County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fairlie
      • From Ector to Fairlie
    • Jardin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jardin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jardin
      • Jardin is located in Hunt County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jardin
      • From Ector to Jardin
    • South Sulphur
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jacobia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Yowell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yowell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yowell
      • Yowell is located in Hunt County
    • Neylandville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Neylandville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neylandville
      • Neylandville is located in Hunt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Neylandville
      • From Ector to Neylandville
  • Lamar County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ector, with the one closest to Ector listed first.
    • Petty
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Petty have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petty
      • Petty is located in Lamar County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Petty <1>
    • High
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for High. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High
      • High is located in Lamar County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to High
      • From Ector to High
    • Direct
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Bryan County (OK)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ector, see our County-by-County Page for Ector.

Cemeteries Near Ector ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ector.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ector covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ector, with the one closest to Ector listed first.

  • Allen Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Allen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Allen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Carson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Long Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Long Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Belmont Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Belmont Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Belmont Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dulaney Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dulaney Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dulaney Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Little Jordan Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little Jordan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little Jordan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Coon Town Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coon Town Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coon Town Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hampton Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hampton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hampton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fannin Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fannin Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fannin Memorial Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Willow Wild Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Willow Wild Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Willow Wild Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Eminence Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eminence Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eminence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • King Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the King Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the King Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (290 more) ...
    • Wrenn Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wrenn Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wrenn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Mt. Zion Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Zion Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Porter Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Porter Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Porter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Ector had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Ector had a population of 746 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Ector, with the one closest to Ector listed first.

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ector. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ector.

Newspapers Published in Ector ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 67 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ector.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ector, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ector.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Ector:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ector. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<5>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<6>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Ector, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ector) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ector. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.5771, Longitude: -96.2733    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025